


Seeds of Doubt

by butyoumight



Category: Kamen Rider Gaim
Genre: Alternate Universe, Jossed, M/M, non-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-07 23:38:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1125735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butyoumight/pseuds/butyoumight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"<i>Why do you even care, Hideyasu?</i> That was the main question." Jounouchi Hideyasu tries to figure out why he cares so much when Hase Ryouji gets injured. No longer canon compliant as of episode 12.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeds of Doubt

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [2013 Fandom Arts Exchange](http://maketakunai.tumblr.com/post/68859445911/hey-would-you-like-to-take-part-in-a-fun) project on Tumblr, for user [pinkdustlane](http://pinkdustlane.tumblr.com/).

Not for nothing did most of the rest of the Beat Riders in the city know Hideyasu's name, and not just that, but link said name with notorious skill at manipulation. Even if he did claim to prefer being called a master strategist, he knew it all meant the same thing. He knew what to say, and what to do, to get things to go his way, or at least to try to.

But even then, there had been nothing he could do this time, and now he was pacing in the reception area of the local hospital, mentally berating himself.

_Why do you even care, Hideyasu?_ That was the main question. _Wasn't he always just a pawn, anyway?_ Being the regular follow-up. _So what if he got hurt?_ He would keep going, and in that vein, he would answer his own question.

_It's because he got hurt so you wouldn't. That's all it is_. _You feel indebted to him_. And that brings some relief, briefly, until he starts looking too closely at his memory of the event and he knows that, if their roles had been reversed, he wouldn't have done the same thing.

No way would he have thrown himself so readily in the way of a strike meant for Hase-chan, not after all the stupid jerk had put him through in the name of “training”...

But then why, if he had spent all of their practice sessions trying to convince Hideyasu to be the decoy while he sneaked in from the sidelines, why, when Hideyasu was facing down a blow that could have killed him, _why_ did Hase-chan then jump in, take the strike instead, across his neck and shoulder no less, and now maybe _he_ was going to die and wouldn't that just be Hideyasu's fault, in the grander scheme of things?

And what would the rest of Raid Wild even do to him if they found out it was all his fault?

Hideyasu shuddered at the thought of those leather-clad plebeians chasing him down an alley.

“What the heck were you thinking, Hase-chan?” He grumbled under his breath, kicking at a chair and wincing when his thin sneakers didn't offer any protection to his toes.

All of this was his fault anyway, he thought, standing on one foot, rubbing at his toes and pouting to himself. He was the one who had said it would be profitable to forge an alliance, not just between their teams but with Baron too. He was the one who had gotten mad when stupid Kumon Kaito had played them all, and convinced Hase-chan to go along with him when it came to _increasing their power_ and breaking away from the Baron-headed alliance.

“You stupid pinecone.” He huffed, a little louder this time, even though it caught him an odd look from the nurse at the desk. Hideyasu whipped off his glasses and furiously started cleaning them on the hem of his shirt.

The problem was, now it was done with, the fight was over, and Hase-chan was here in a stupid hospital room, and what, exactly, was keeping Hideyasu here waiting outside, waiting to be allowed in to see him?

“Jounouchi-san?” He turned at the sound of his name, and the nurse at the desk beckoned him over. “I just got the call. You can go in and see him now. Room 413.”

He bowed to her and gave her a little smile. He'd told her he was Hase-chan's cousin to get even this much attention. Then he headed off towards the room in question.

There was a doctor outside, making notes on a clipboard that he then hung up on the hook on the door, and Hideyasu bowed to him too.

“Can I go in?” He asked, figuring it was worth even that little semblance of respect. The doctor looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

“You're the cousin?”

Hideyasu nodded. It was a little harder to lie outright to a _doctor_ , not to mention the doctor who was taking care of Hase-chan, and again, Hideyasu had to mentally ask himself why he cared.

“He's sleeping. Try not to wake him, he needs his rest to recover. But yes, you can go in.”

“Thank you.” Hideyasu bowed again, a little deeper this time, and scampered through the door before the doctor could change his mind.

He immediately regretted everything, from becoming Hase-chan's partner, to buying those stupid belts from Cid, to getting involved in any of those fights, and the list went on and on, culminating in the fact that he'd stayed out in that waiting room for over an hour, for _this_.

Also, he kind of thought maybe if he looked too closely at it, he'd find the pain in his chest wasn't _just_ from not breathing correctly, but he definitely didn't want to think about that yet.

Hideyasu had seen Hase-chan in plenty of compromising positions, he'd even seen him in his underwear, that was no big deal somehow, compared to this. The hospital gown was really pale, and blue, and didn't fit with the image of Hase-chan and his position as Raid Wild's leader. That, plus he was pale, and had so many bandages over his shoulder that they peeked out the neck of the stupid gown, and his hair wasn't slicked back but flat and shaggy over his forehead, and his eyes were closed, and...

Hideyasu took off his glasses again, not that it actually made any difference. He didn't need them, after all, it was all just a part of the image of Invitto...

“Jounouchi?”

He looked up, eyes wide. Hase-chan was awake after all, blinking at him and looking mostly lost and confused. At least that expression was familiar, the way his eyebrows drew together with a sharp line between them. A classic Hase-chan face.

“What happened?”

Hideyasu laughed. It was forced and shrill even to him, and as soon as he was done he wished he hadn't done it. “You idiot.” He tried to save face by teasing him, and settled back into that familiar groove as he found the visitor's chair and dragged it over to the bed side so he could sit while he taunted. “What were you thinking, anyway, getting in the way of that? I would have dodged!”

“You wouldn't.” Hase-chan pointed out wearily, and Hideyasu bit the inside of his cheek to keep from snapping at him, or starting that shrill manic laugh again, or doing anything, really, but sitting there.

“Anyway.” Hase-chan's voice was soft and Hideyasu had to lean in a bit to hear it properly. “Anyway, it would have been bad, if you'd been hit like that.”

“Why's that, Hase-chan?” He asked with a forced nonchalance.

Hase-chan was smirking at him. Hideyasu's heart did an awkward little twirl, he felt for a second like he was going to be ill, then he felt like he was going to cry, and _then_ he felt like he was bout to punch his stupid partner in the face, and all of that in just a fraction of a second.

“Because I would have felt bad, if I'd had to see you get hurt.” He paused, thoughtful, and stuck out his lower lip. “Plus, you're a frail little thing and you probably would have died, and then it would have been my fault, and all the rest of Invitto would probably try to hunt me down, and-”

Before he even knew what he was doing, Hideyasu leaned forward, grabbing Hase-chan's good shoulder with one hand and kissing him fiercely, so hard and fast that their teeth clicked together, and Hase-chan gasped through his nose and Hideyasu thought he might pass out like this, and _damn_ it but Hase-chan had nice lips, just the right balance of plump and firm...

They broke apart, and both of them were gasping, and the heart monitor next to the bed was going wild with Hase-chan's increased pulse.

“Jounouchi...”

Hideyasu licked his lips. The taste of Hase-chan lingered there, rich and sharp.

“Shut up, Hase-chan.”

And he kissed him again. 


End file.
